people study, v.2 | ellie

+v.1

(Sadly, my pictures are few, because I was mainly acting as the model for the day instead of the photographer. But considering Ellie is one photographer who has and continues to greatly inspire my own developing style, I was totally fine stepping back and letting her take charge.)

So when Jenn was visiting a couple weeks ago (four days!) and we realized Ellie was staying in Oklahoma, we pretty much stalked her (heh) until we got a meet-up date worked out. Carlotta was supposed to come as well, but alas, life thwarted our plans and she was unable. But our afternoon with Ellie was all kinds of fantastic.

Oh, how to describe this girl... First of all, her smile is the absolute best. No lie. Her entire being radiates joy. She is incredibly mature and poised, with a natural elegance and classic charm. During our visit, I watched her interact with several complete strangers we met in shops and cafés, and she easily fell into conversation with each and conducted herself with class. She is inquisitive and warm and a total people person if I've ever met one. And then there's the way she talks about God. Wow, people, she really loves Him. Her sentences are punctuated with praises, always mentioning how God had been guiding and teaching her. Talking about Him comes naturally, willingly.

Ellie is calm, cool, and collected (yay for alliteration), yet she has an incredible zest for life that struck me within minutes of meeting her. She simply takes joy in being alive. Everything is an adventure to her. Her confidence is stunning, but she's confident because she knows God is on her side. She wants to succeed, but she also really wants to see other people succeed. She likes to see other people happy. Photography isn't just a job to her; it's a way of life, an art she has been called to create. In a hey-I've-got-this way that made me laugh, she had no qualms about rearranging an antique store to get just the right shot. Ellie doesn't stop short. She is a girl who is satisfied with life, yet always ready for new ventures.

But don't think Ellie doesn't have her goofy moments; she certainly knows just the right ways to make people laugh. (Just get her to quote Captain America; I was dying, guys. "Specimen.") The funny thing is, though, she can't do it with a straight face because she's too busy laughing right along with you. And that beaming smile just gets bigger... She also really loves the royal family; she had her phone out with her latest favourite picture of them pulled up within fifteen minutes of our first hello. Bright-colored walls and good barbeque and the state of Oklahoma in general are enough to get her pretty excited.

I decided that yellow is Ellie's color (which is fitting because I'm pretty sure she's a fan of yellow.) Ellie is bright. Ellie is sunshine. Ellie is happy. Ellie is gold.

I liked Ellie.